World Championship history-maker Jackson Page has opened a trading card shop and already has a famous customer in snooker rival Mark Williams. The Welsh cueist hit the headlines in Sheffield back in the Spring after remarkably potting two 147s in the same match.
Page’s feat came during qualifying for the tournament. He landed the £147,000 prize given to players for scoring two maximums across the season – having done so in the space of a couple of sessions at The Crucible. Some of that money has now been spent on a new shop selling lucrative collectables and trading cards. As a young boy, Page was a big fan of Pokemon cards and other trading memorabilia.
“Everyone on tour knows that I am really into collectable stuff like Pokemon cards and other things. I just decided it would be great to open up a shop as a bit of a thing on the side,” Page said about his new venture.
“It is a bit of an interest for me and something I like to do when I’m not focusing on snooker. It has been a brilliant experience seeing it open up. I obviously can’t work in there as I’m a snooker player, but I’ve got someone to work there and it is a good hobby to have.
“We’ve got all sorts of things in there like Lego sets and Plushies, as well as the trading cards. It has been fun setting it up. We’ve got a few cards in there worth over £2,000. The most valuable and rare Pokemon card we have is called a Moonbreon.
“When I was a kid, I used to collect cards and I got back into it a couple of years ago. Now I’m in a position where I’m able to open a shop so I’ll see how it goes. It will be exciting to see how it pans out. Mark Williams popped over the other day to see the shop, his boy is into it all as well. So it was nice to have him come along.”
Page potted two 147s in his qualifying victory over Allan Taylor. He said afterwards: “It felt routine out there in the end.
“I’ve made a lot of 147s leading up to this event in the club. I’m over the moon to have got it done. I never, ever go for them in matches, [but] I do when I’m practising. When I’m at the club I could be on the first black and think that the maximum is on. Here you try to win the frame. After I made the first one yesterday, I had to have a go for the second. It paid off, maybe I’ll start going for more.”